Scottish Executive

Business Rates

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend the small business rates relief scheme and, in particular, whether businesses under the threshold will be able to benefit from the scheme automatically rather than by application and whether it intends to review the level at which the threshold for relief is set.

   The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  A dh’ fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba dè na planaichean a th’ aige gus sgeama faochadh reataichean do ghnìomhachasan beaga atharrachadh, agus gu sònraichte nam b’ urrainn do ghnìomhachasan fon stairsnich sochair a ghabhail gun dàil, seach le iarrtas, agus ma tha e an dùil ri ìre far a bheil an stairsneach stèidhichte a dh’ ath-sgrùdadh.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to amend the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme which has been in operation for less than 15 months. Under the existing scheme, all subjects with a rateable value of £10,000 or under automatically receive 5% relief. Only ratepayers who occupy subjects with a rateable value of less than £7,000 and who are therefore eligible for relief of 10% or more require to apply for the higher level of relief.

   The Scottish Executive has provided the following translation:

  Chan eil planaichean aig Riaghaltas na h-Alba aig an àm a tha an làthair atharrachadh a dhèanamh air Sgeama Faochadh Reataichean do Ghnìomhachasan Beaga a tha air a bhith a’ dol airson nas lugha na 15 mìosan. Fon Sgeama a tha ann an-dràsta, tha gach cuspair aig a bheil luach reataidh de £10,000 no nas lugha a’ faighinn faochadh de 5 sa cheud gun iarrtas a chur a-steach. Cha leig a leas cur airson faochadh aig an ìre as motha ach luchd-reataidh aig a bheil cuspairean aig a bheil luach reataidh nas lugha na £7,000 agus a tha mar sin airidh air faochadh de 10 sa cheud no nas motha.

Civil Servants

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants there are, broken down by local authority area in which they are located.

Mr Andy Kerr: The full-time equivalent number of permanent staff employed in the core departments of the Scottish Executive, executive agencies and associated departments, broken down by local authority area in which they are located, is provided in the following table. Information on the location of staff employed by other government departments is not held centrally.

  Number1 of Civil Servants (Full-Time Equivalents) in the Scottish Executive Core Departments, Agencies and Associated Departments, Figures as at 1 June 20042

  

 Scotland Total
 15,289


 Aberdeen City
 588


 Aberdeenshire
 339


 Angus
 99


 Argyll and Bute
 72


 City of Edinburgh
 7,497


 Clackmannanshire
 412


 Dumfries and Galloway
 252


 Dundee City
 154


 East Ayrshire
 69


 East Dunbartonshire
 175


 East Lothian
 34


 Eilean Siar
 30


 Falkirk
 584


 Fife
 121


 Glasgow City
 1,821


 Highland
 353


 Inverclyde
 310


 Moray
 38


 North Lanarkshire
 458


 Orkney
 35


 Perth and Kinross
 625


 Renfrewshire
 131


 Scottish Borders
 291


 Shetland Islands
 30


 South Ayrshire
 114


 South Lanarkshire
 191


 Stirling
 361


 West Dunbartonshire
 45


 West Lothian
 62



  Notes:

  1. Full-time equivalents, rounded to the nearest whole number.

  2. Figures for Historic Scotland, Registers of Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are at April 2004.

Council Tax

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what non-collection rate of the council tax is assumed in the setting of the tax in each local authority.

Mr Andy Kerr: The collection rate assumed by each local authority in setting their 2004-05 council tax level is set out in the table below. This assumed rate takes into account the collection of arrears as well as billing for the current year.

  

  
 2004-05
Council Tax Payment Assumption


 Scotland
 96.30%


 Aberdeen City
 97.60%


 Aberdeenshire
 98.50%


 Angus
 98.00%


 Argyll and Bute
 95.30%


 Clackmannanshire
 96.50%


 Dumfries and Galloway
 96.40%


 Dundee City
 96.50%


 East Ayrshire
 95.00%


 East Dunbartonshire
 97.00%


 East Lothian
 96.00%


 East Renfrewshire
 98.00%


 Edinburgh City
 95.00%


 Eilean Siar
 96.00%


 Falkirk
 97.46%


 Fife
 97.60%


 Glasgow City
 94.00%


 Highland
 96.00%


 Inverclyde
 96.50%


 Midlothian
 96.50%


 Moray
 97.50%


 North Ayrshire
 95.75%


 North Lanarkshire
 96.50%


 Orkney
 97.20%


 Perth and Kinross
 97.50%


 Renfrewshire
 95.22%


 Scottish Borders
 98.00%


 Shetland
 95.50%


 South Ayrshire
 97.00%


 South Lanarkshire
 96.25%


 Stirling
 97.75%


 West Dunbartonshire
 95.50%


 West Lothian
 96.50%



  Source: CTAS 2004 returns from Local Authorities to the Scottish Executive.

Council Tax

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate of council tax collection rate is used when setting the revenue support grant for local authorities.

Tavish Scott: No estimate of council tax collection rate is used when setting the revenue support grant for local authorities.

  Instead, an overall allowance for council tax income is made, and it is for local authorities to set their council tax rates in the light of that and of their expenditure plans and priorities.

Deaf and Hearing Impaired People

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7453 by Mr Tom McCabe on 5 May 2004, which local access forums have representation from deaf and hard of hearing people.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is currently being collected. Once this has been done it will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Dentistry

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental therapists there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information has been requested and will be collated as soon as possible. I will write separately to the member when this is available.

  A copy of the correspondence will be placed in Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Dentistry

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on general dental services and how much, and what percentage of this amount, was paid directly by patients in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown in the table:

  Gross Expenditure on NHS General Dental Services; Year Ending March1

  

 Year
 Expenditure2
 Amount 
  Paid Directly
by Patients


 2001
 £175,360,065
 £50,789,799
 (29.0%)


 2002
 £179,402,858
 £51,849,084
 (28.9%)


 2003
 £191,469,302
 £54,699,309
 (28.6%)


 2004
 £197,698,884
 £53,730,656
 (27.2%)



  Source: Form 12b (financial return made to Scottish Executive by Practitioner Services).

  Notes:

  1. Information for period 1999-2000 is not available.

  2. Total gross expenditure on NHS general dental services, including the cost of the salaried general dental service and allowances and grants paid to dentists, which do not attract patient charges.

Digital Technology

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that all people and businesses who are too remote from their local telephone exchange to receive asymmetric digital subscriber line are able to access another affordable form of high-speed internet connection.

Mr Jim Wallace: I recently announced our intention to ensure that, by the end of 2005, every community in Scotland has access to broadband services. We are currently developing plans to deliver this.

Drug Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of drug offences by category for (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03, (e) 2003-04 and (f) 2004-05 to date.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on drug offences which were recorded by the police is given in the following table.

  Breakdown of Recorded Drugs Offences, 1999-2000 to 2003-2004P

  

  
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04P


 Illegal importation of drugs
 7
 1
 4
 3
 4


 Production, manufacture or cultivation 
  of drugs
 106
 131
 144
 205
 249


 Supply, possession with intent to supply 
  etc. of drugs
 8,032
 9,024
 10,130
 9,940
 9,284


 Possession of drugs
 21,776
 22,470
 26,188
 30,510
 32,463


 Drugs, money laundering related offences
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Drugs, other offences
 452
 455
 284
 280
 275


 Total
 30,374
 32,081
 36,750
 40,938
 42,275



  (P) Please note that data for 2003-04 is provisional.

Enterprise

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many United Kingdom companies have been approached to fund, and take part in, the trade fair in Paris on 17 June 2004 organised by the British Embassy; how many have accepted, and, of these, how many are Scottish companies.

Mr Jim Wallace: UK Trade & Investment have provided information regarding the participants at the "Great! Britain" exhibition which was held by the UK Embassy in Paris on 17 June 2004. Ninety companies and organisations were approached, including Scottish firms suggested by Scottish Development International – of which 62 directly participated. Of those 62, 12 were Scottish. A further 36 Scottish companies contributed to the presentation of Scottish food and drink during the event.

EventScotland

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much outstanding funding EventScotland has available to finance events this year.

Mr Frank McAveety: This year, EventScotland will receive £3 million funding to support events.

EventScotland

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether EventScotland has any plans to publish a manual which details the procedures for applying for grants to run a festival.

Mr Frank McAveety: EventScotland publishes detailed information which explains how to apply to EventScotland for support for events, and copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 32233). This advice is also available at www.eventscotland.org.

EventScotland

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Executive of EventScotland has visited every region; when he visited each region, and when he plans to visit any regions he has not visited.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Chief Executive of EventScotland has visited every area tourist board region except Dumfries and Galloway, the Orkney Islands, the Western Isles and the Shetland Islands. The dates of his first visit to each area is given:

  

 Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley
 2 September 2003


 Perthshire
 4 September 2003


 Highlands
 17 September 
  2003


 Ayrshire and Arran
 19 September 
  2003


 Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling 
  and the Trossachs
 20 to 21 September 
  2003


 Aberdeen and Grampian
 29 September 
  2003


 Fife
 3 October 2003


 Borders
 24 to 26 March 
  2004


 Angus and Dundee
 5 May 2004



  The Chief Executive plans to visit Dumfries and Galloway on 23 July and the Shetland Islands in early August. He intends to visit the Orkney Islands and the Western Isles in the coming year.

Finance

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to collect statistics on the total amount of compensation paid out by (a) local authorities, (b) NHS Scotland and (c) other public bodies, broken down into (i) settlement out of court and (ii) court-awarded compensation.

Mr Andy Kerr: This Scottish Executive does not hold information centrally about these bodies’ compensation payments which is broken down in this manner. It does not have any plans to collect statistics on this matter.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the fishing fleet has reduced in size in each of the last four years, broken down by sector.

Ross Finnie: The table below shows the numbers of fishing vessels based in Scotland between 1 January 2001 and 1 January 2004 and the year-on-year changes in vessel numbers. The fleet has been segmented in the table by length group and, for vessels over 10 metres in overall length, the vessels’ main reported fishing method.

  Number of Scottish Based Vessels at 1 January, 2001-04

  

 Length Group/Main Vessel 
  Fishing Method
 Number 
  of Scottish-Based Fishing Vessels
 Annual 
  Change in Vessel Numbers
 Total 
  Change in Vessel Numbers, 2001-04


 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04


 Vessels over 10m in overall length, 
  of which:
 954
 950
 834
 758
 -4
 -116
 -76
 -196


 Demersal trawl, seines, lines and gill-nets
 471
 475
 385
 330
 4
 -90
 -55
 -141


 Pelagic trawl and seine
 37
 35
 32
 27
 -2
 -3
 -5
 -10


 Nephrops trawl
 222
 222
 206
 193
 0
 -16
 -13
 -29


 Other shellfish methods
 224
 218
 211
 208
 -6
 -7
 -3
 -16


 Vessels 10m or under in overall length
 1,616
 1,631
 1,649
 1,632
 15
 18
 -17
 16


 Total
 2,570
 2,581
 2,483
 2,390
 11
 -98
 -93
 -180



  Of the 196 vessels over 10 metres in length that left the fleet between 2001 and 2004, 165 were removed as a result of the 2001-02 and 2003 decommissioning schemes. These schemes have reduced Scottish fishing effort, using gears most associated with cod mortality, by 31.3% compared to 2001 levels.

Further Education

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) efficiency savings and (b) transitional costs it anticipates as a consequence of the current proposed voluntary mergers by some further education colleges, broken down by college.

Mr Jim Wallace: The decision to merge Glasgow College of Building and Printing (GCBP) and Glasgow College of Food Technology (GCFT) through the creation of Glasgow Metropolitan College (GMC) was not taken primarily on financial grounds. The Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC), the body with responsibility for funding Scotland’s further education colleges, has advised that the combined financial situation will enable GMC to make savings and achieve financial security earlier than if GCBP and GCFT were to remain as separate colleges. SFEFC has analysed the business plan which indicates that the potential efficiency savings are likely to be in the region of £100,000 in 2004-05 and thereafter £400,000 per annum. All savings gained as a result of the merger will be invested in GMC.

  It is likely that SFEFC will provide funding to support the transitional costs that will necessarily arise as a result of the merger and is in the process of finalising its recommendation on the appropriate level of funding. This is likely to be in the region of £1.5 million. This will cover key aspects of the merger process including ICT developments, marketing, staffing, estates and governance.

  The boards of Glenrothes College and Fife College announced on 30 April 2004 that they propose to build on the existing collaboration between the colleges and move towards a full merger. Initial discussions between both colleges and SFEFC on the necessary steps and likely timescales involved have taken place, but no formal proposal has yet been made to the Scottish ministers.

General Practitioners

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs there were per head of population in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table provides the data, based upon the number of GP principal equivalents (in post) in GMS and PMS practices.

  General Medical Practitioners1 per 10,000 Head of Population (at 1 October)

  

 Health Board
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Scotland
 7.3
 7.3
 7.4
 7.5
 7.5


 Argyll and Clyde
 7.4
 7.6
 7.7
 7.6
 7.6


 Ayrshire and Arran
 7.1
 7.1
 7.1
 7.1
 7.3


 Borders
 8.2
 8.1
 8.0
 8.1
 8.3


 Dumfries and Galloway
 8.7
 8.9
 9.0
 8.8
 8.8


 Fife
 7.0
 7.1
 7.0
 7.1
 7.1


 Forth Valley
 7.5
 7.5
 7.3
 7.4
 7.5


 Grampian
 6.8
 6.9
 7.2
 7.3
 7.3


 Greater Glasgow
 7.2
 7.2
 7.3
 7.3
 7.2


 Highland
 9.8
 9.8
 10.2
 10.3
 10.9


 Lanarkshire
 6.3
 6.2
 6.3
 6.3
 6.4


 Lothian
 7.2
 7.1
 7.3
 7.4
 7.4


 Orkney
 12.9
 13.0
 14.0
 14.1
 14.5


 Shetland
 8.0
 8.6
 9.1
 8.7
 8.7


 Tayside
 7.2
 7.3
 7.4
 7.5
 7.7


 Western Isles
 10.7
 10.5
 10.2
 10.3
 10.3



  Sources: General Medical Practitioner Database, ISD Scotland.

  General Register Office for Scotland.

  Note:

  1. Comprises unrestricted principals and restricted principals in post, in general medical services practices and their equivalents in personal medical services practices.

Heritage

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to intervene to support the proposed relocation of the original structures of the 1738 remnants of George Watson’s Hospital which, as part of the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, are scheduled for demolition.

Mr Frank McAveety: The site of the old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in Laurieston Place is now the subject of a very large redevelopment which will regenerate the area and re-use important historic buildings which form a significant element within the townscape of the World Heritage Site. Part of the scheme of conversion and new build has necessitated the demolition of the building which contains the remnants of George Watson’s Hospital, the school designed by William Adam in 1738.

  Historic Scotland, the agency of the Scottish Executive with responsibility to Scottish ministers for operational matters affecting the built heritage, is aware of, and fully supports, the proposal to salvage remnants of the school, and in the course of discussions with the planning authority, the City of Edinburgh Council, will actively encourage their appropriate re-use.

Heritage

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many listed buildings it has approved for demolition in each year since 1999, broken down by grade of building.

Mr Frank McAveety: This information is not available. Statistics for listed building consent casework notified by planning authorities to Scottish ministers under the requirements of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 are compiled by Historic Scotland. Cases are recorded by planning authority and by the address of the application site but do not distinguish between alteration and demolition. Historic Scotland are currently reviewing the data they collect and intend to keep demolition statistics for the current and future years.

Heritage

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to be met in order for it to approve the demolition of listed buildings, broken down by grade of building.

Mr Frank McAveety: Government policy with regard to the demolition of listed buildings is set out in the Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas , the document to which all planning authorities are directed by Scottish Office Development Department Circular No.13/1998 in their consideration of applications for listed building consent for works to all three categories of listed building.

  Government policy is that no worthwhile building should be lost to our environment unless it is demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that every effort has been exerted by all concerned to find practical ways of keeping it.

  The memorandum advises planning authorities, when processing applications for consent to demolish, always to presume in favour of the retention of listed buildings and to consider demolition only where, after a full assessment by the authority of the importance, condition and potential for re-use of the building by the present owner or another party, the case remains strong. The memorandum emphasises that careful assessment of all three of these issues is essential and reminds planning authorities that the fact that a strong case can be made in relation to one or two of them does not necessarily justify the loss of the building.

Heritage

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any requirement for it to take the advice of Historic Scotland in respect of the demolition of listed buildings.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 requires planning authorities to notify to Scottish ministers applications for consent for the demolition of any category of listed building which they are minded to approve. This is to afford ministers the opportunity to call in applications which they judge to merit further consideration and, in due course, determination by them rather than the relevant planning authority.

  As an agency of the Scottish Executive, Historic Scotland is directly responsible to Scottish ministers for operational matters affecting the built heritage in Scotland. Applications which the act requires to be notified to ministers are in practice sent by planning authorities to Historic Scotland.

  When dealing with proposals for demolition, Historic Scotland considers each application against Government policy on the subject, as set out in the Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas, the document to which all planning authorities are directed by Scottish Office Development Department Circular No.13/1998 in their consideration of applications for listed building consent. If a proposal appears to conflict with that policy Historic Scotland may advise Scottish Ministers to call in the case for their own determination. The decision on whether or not to call in the application rests with ministers and will be taken with the benefit of the advice offered by Historic Scotland. If a case is called in, the recommendation made by the independent Inquiry Reporter is considered by the Scottish Executive planning divisions, who then offer advice to the Deputy Minister for Communities who makes the decision on whether consent should be granted.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital-acquired infections there were in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in ensuring that Glasgow Housing Association Ltd meets its targets to achieve second stage transfer to community ownership.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) is committed to achieving its target of transferring its housing stock through second stage transfers into community ownership. Seventeen housing associations have expressed an interest in being part of a prototype programme to be progressed during 2004-05. GHA is currently working with the local housing organisations and other stakeholders, including Communities Scotland, to agree the overall guidance and framework for second stage transfers and Communities Scotland will be responsible for monitoring GHA’s progress with this.

International Visits

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it was made aware of Lech Walesa’s recent visit to Scotland House in Brussels and why no minister was in attendance.

Mr Andy Kerr: Lech Walesa was attending the formal opening of the Pomeranian Region Office within Scotland House on 1 June 2004. I was not aware of his visit in advance. Indeed, I understand that his attendance was only confirmed on the day of the event itself. Although it was not a Scottish Executive event, when Mr Walesa arrived he was welcomed to Scotland House by the Head of the Scottish Executive EU Office.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time period was between plea and summary trial date in each sheriff court district in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table:

  

  
Court
 1999-2000
Average
 2000-01
Average
 2001-02
Average
 2002-03
Average
 2003-04
Average


 Aberdeen
 10
 12
 13
 14
 14


 Airdrie
 11
 15
 15
 10
 13


 Alloa
 13
 15
 11
 18
 16


 Arbroath
 12
 11
 12
 12
 12


 Ayr
 10
 14
 13
 13
 12


 Banff
 10
 13
 13
 14
 12


 Campbeltown
 10
 10
 10
 10
 11


 Cupar
 12
 14
 12
 10
 10


 Dingwall
 10
 11
 9
 11
 13


 Dornoch
 12
 12
 10
 11
 11


 Dumbarton
 12
 12
 11
 11
 9


 Dumfries
 12
 12
 11
 10
 11


 Dundee
 16
 16
 13
 12
 13


 Dunfermline
 13
 14
 13
 10
 10


 Dunoon
 12
 12
 12
 11
 11


 Duns
 9
 n/a
 10
 ***
 ***


 Edinburgh
 13
 15
 16
 16
 16


 Elgin
 12
 12
 13
 14
 16


 Falkirk
 14
 14
 13
 12
 10


 Forfar
 10
 10
 10
 11
 11


 Fort William
 11
 11
 10
 8
 9


 Glasgow
 10
 12
 12
 12
 11


 Greenock
 8
 11
 13
 12
 10


 Haddington
 10
 11
 13
 12
 10


 Hamilton
 10
 16
 15
 11
 16


 Inverness
 10
 12
 14
 13
 16


 Jedburgh
 11
 12
 12
 10
 10


 Kilmarnock
 8
 11
 11
 12
 11


 Kirkcaldy
 15
 16
 14
 14
 14


 Kirkcudbright
 9
 9
 8
 10
 7


 Kirkwall
 7
 9
 8
 10
 9


 Lanark
 9
 10
 10
 10
 12


 Lerwick
 9
 8
 9
 10
 9


 Linlithgow
 17
 14
 13
 9
 9


 Lochmaddy
 8
 9
 8
 ***
 ***


 Oban
 10
 11
 9
 11
 10


 Paisley
 8
 13
 11
 10
 14


 Peebles
 9
 10
 12
 9
 15


 Perth
 19
 21
 14
 13
 16


 Peterhead
 12
 13
 13
 11
 10


 Portree
 8
 9
 11
 11
 9


 Rothesay
 7
 9
 8
 7
 7


 Selkirk
 10
 12
 11
 10
 11


 Stirling
 15
 13
 12
 12
 12


 Stonehaven
 10
 10
 9
 10
 10


 Stornoway
 10
 9
 11
 10
 10


 Stranraer
 8
 9
 9
 11
 10


 Tain
 10
 10
 11
 10
 10


 Wick
 9
 9
 9
 10
 10


 National Average
 11
 12
 11
 11
 11



  Note:

  ***Combined figures for Jedburgh/Duns and Portree Lochmaddy for 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Local Government

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much local authorities have paid out in compensation in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Nursing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses entered training in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.

Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of student nurses entering training are as follows:

  (a) 2001-02 2,804

  (b) 2002-03 2,916

  Information on the number of student nurses entering training in 2003-04 will be available in July 2004.

Nursing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses left the NHS in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on leavers is not collected centrally. However, annual censuses of the nursing and midwifery workforce at 30 September can be used to establish annual flows of staff out of NHSScotland.

  The table shows the number of qualified nurses and midwives who left between the September 2001 and September 2002 censuses and the September 2002 and September 2003 censuses. Information on the September 2004 census will not be available until 2005. Figures are also shown relative to the staff in post at the start of the period.

  Number of Qualified Nurse and Midwife Leavers Between Each Census

  

  
 Leavers
 Leavers as % 
  of Staff in Post at Start of Period


 Leavers between September 2001 and September 
  2002
 2,853
 6.7


 Leavers between September 2002 and September 
  2003
 2,863
 6.6



  Source: National Manpower Statistics from Payroll.

Places of Worship

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a common definition of a place of worship.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has no comprehensive definition of what constitutes a place of worship. However, there is a definition used for grant giving on listed buildings.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5591 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 January 2004, why the outcome of the review of the police funding formula has not been published and what its findings were with specific reference to the impact of the review on funding for Grampian Police.

Cathy Jamieson: The Police GAE Working Group decided to delay submitting the report in order that their recommendations could be informed by additional data which became available in May. As I said in answer to question S2O-2646 on 17 June 2004, I expect to receive the report in the next few weeks.

Police

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police on average are on patrol at any one time.

Cathy Jamieson: The deployment of police officers in any force area is a matter for the Chief Constable of the force concerned and information of this nature is not held centrally. However, the number of officers available for deployment has been increasing. As at March 2003, the overall number was at a record level, and our Partnership Agreement contains a commitment not only to increase the numbers on operational duty in every Scottish force but to also to improve on the level of overall police numbers.

Prison Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid in each quarter for available prisoner places at HM Prison Kilmarnock since the opening of the prison.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not readily available in the form requested. Annual expenditure figures are:

  

 Year
 £ 
  Million


 1999-2000
 11.7


 2000-01
 12.4


 2001-02
 12.1


 2002-03
 11.6

Prison Service

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7760 by Cathy Jamieson on 7 May 2004, whether it will give full details of the notice received on 29 January 2004 under paragraph 6.8 of Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock , including (a) the effective date of the notice, (b) the risk insured, (c) the extent of the insurance, (d) the insured sum, (e) the premium, (f) any excess requested by the previous insurer for a replacement policy, (g) details of any proposal the contractor made in the notice to mitigate, manage and control such risks and (h) details of any financial resources available to the contractor to meet any claim made against it in respect of such risks.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested concerns the commercial interests of a third-party, and is therefore exempt from disclosure within the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what risk analysis has been carried out on which to base any decision in relation to increasing places in open prisons.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  All prisoners transferred to open prison have been classified through our sentence management system as being low supervision and low-risk. The SPS has a surplus of such prisoners in closed establishments and it is from this group that future transfers will take place.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any prison staff have intimated any legal claims against it for being subjected to degrading working conditions subsequent to Lord Bonomy’s judgement in the Napier case.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No such claims have been received to date.

Public Appointments

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to advertise any senior posts within Historic Scotland in the foreseeable future.

Frank McAveety: Decisions on the approach to be taken to filling vacancies in Senior Civil Service posts within the Scottish Executive, including Executive agencies, are taken on a case-by-case basis.

Renewable Energy

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it uses when determining renewable energy policy.

Lewis Macdonald: The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution recommended in its report Energy – The Changing Climate that the UK should aim to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050. The UK Energy White Paper (2003) endorsed this target, and set out the measures that would be required to achieve it, including increasing the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources as well as the more widespread use of energy efficiency measures.

  We recognise the clear environmental and economic imperatives for developing a strong renewable energy industry in Scotland. We are working closely with the DTI to implement the recommendations of our recent gap analysis study, and with industry and academia through the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it uses in determining grant levels for renewable energy development.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative provides funding for small scale renewable energy projects. The scheme is administered on behalf of the Executive by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Energy Saving Trust. Applications are assessed against publicly available criteria.

  Commercial renewable energy developments may attract Renewables Obligation Certificates which can be traded separately from the renewable electricity produced. Additionally, the Department of Trade and Industry administers a number of capital and research and development grants for offshore wind, solar, biomass and marine technologies.

Renewable Energy

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has in respect of planning and routing in relation to transmission from offshore renewable power generation sources to land.

Lewis Macdonald: While there is no planning process that applies specifically to the installation of these cables, they will be subject to consent under the Coast Protection Act and the Food and Environment Protection Act. Both of these functions are devolved.

Scottish Executive Funding

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any application for funding to replace the Airborne Initiative at Braidwood House.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has not received any formal funding application to replace the Airborne Initiative. It has, however, received an outline proposal for a new residential programme for young male offenders. The future use of Braidwood House is a matter for the board of the Airborne Initiative.

Security Industry

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government to expedite legislation to regulate the Scottish security industry, in light of the report on Frontline Scotland on 18 May 2004.

Cathy Jamieson: I have written to the Home Secretary to make clear the urgency which the Scottish Executive attaches to introducing legislation to regulate the private security industry.

Security Industry

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any proposals to regulate the operation and activities of private security organisations.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-7908 on 13 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Student Finance

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to evaluate the effects of the graduate endowment.

Mr Jim Wallace: The graduate endowment is part of the package of improved student support introduced in 2001-02 which includes bursaries for young students from low-income families. The first graduates liable to pay the endowment will complete courses this year and make their payments on 1 April next year. While we will continue to monitor participation in higher education in the light of the new support arrangements it is too early to begin to evaluate the effects of the graduate endowment.